British Council unveils new International Publishing Fellowship Programme

Staff from Penguin Random House, Kogan Page and Picador are among the professionals taking part in the British Council's International Publishing Fellowship Programme.

The initiative will connect publishing professionals in the UK with those in growing publishing markets overseas, to deepen their understanding of international markets and forge lasting professional networks. 

Six industry professionals from the UK will be paired with counterparts from Georgia, Turkey and Ukraine – countries with publishing markets undergoing fast-paced change. The programme features reciprocal study visits, work shadowing, sector networking events, and professional development training.

The Fellows, who were selected via open-call application, all demonstrate a commitment to innovation and internationalism in publishing. Representing a range of genres including literary fiction, children’s and YA, non-fiction and art and design, their roles include editorial, foreign rights, marketing, design and production, for both large conglomerate publishers and independent presses.

The UK Fellows are Alesha Bonser (Penguin Random House), Arthur Thompson (Kogan Page), Emma Warnock (No Alibi), Molly Sight (Scribe), Ansa Khan Kattak (Picador), Becca Parkinson (Comma Press). There are also two Fellows from Turkey, two from the Ukraine and two from Georgia.

At the end of the programme, all Fellows will be invited to bid for a professional Development Fund of up to £3,000 each, to enable them to continue forging international professional links within the industry.

Director of literature at the British Council Rachel Stevens said: “The British Council are thrilled to be launching an International Publishing Fellowship, to support professional development and promote global connections throughout the industry. We have seen collaborations across the international publishing community foster new approaches to sharing culture across borders, and we look forward to seeing the ideas and innovations that emerge from this new Fellowship programme.”